Dec 02
Review: Boston Tea Company Berry Medley Black Tea
Black Tea, Boston Tea Company, Cranberry Tea, Raspberry Tea, Safflower Tea Add commentsLaura’s Teaview Snapshot
 | "With each slurp of this there is a fleeting moment that a delicious juicy berry flavor lingers in your mouth, but just for a second. Then you are left with a somewhat heavy black tea that masks a pleasant berry profile."
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"This is the blend for anyone who loves the naturally sweet taste of berries. Pieces of raspberry, cranberry and other natural flavors are combined with Chinese black tea for a refreshing brew rich in antioxidants." ---Boston Tea Company website.Berry teas are a bit hit and miss with me. It seems as though everybody makes them, but only a very few do them well. My sample of this is quite appealing in that it contains tons of safflower shreds that really pop against the black tea leaves. It also contains whole dried pieces of both raspberries and cranberries. I am not too sure if they actually add to the flavor profile or not, but they are some of the extras that you expect at this price point ($14.99 for 125 oz tin---about 4 oz). The aroma of the dry leaves is that of a nice berry and it smells mostly like raspberries to me.
Since Boston Tea Company does not offer brewing parameters on their website, I prepared this using water brought to a full boil and allowed to cool for a bit. I then infused the leaves for close to 4 min. The resulting cup consists of a relatively full-bodied black tea that crosses your tongue with some mild astringency. It comes across as a bit heavy for this flavor profile. The other thing that crosses your tongue is a mild berry flavor. With each slurp of this there is a fleeting moment that a delicious juicy berry flavor lingers in your mouth, but just for a second. Then you are left with a somewhat heavy black tea that masks a pleasant berry profile. If you are drinking this is a hot cup, then I would caution you about adding sweetener. This becomes too sweet very easily so I would wait to add any sweetener and add it gradually if you do. Since my experience with most berry flavored black tea blends is that they are better enjoyed iced, I decided to prepare a portion of my sample that way. The iced drink also offers a rather hearty black tea base with a mild (rasp)berry profile. I did enjoy this best with a bit of sweetener when prepared cold. It is not surprising to me that I prefer this as cold drink.
With all of the little extras (safflower petal shreds and whole berry pieces), I feel almost bad not giving this a glowing review. It is a decent cup, but I cannot call it above average. The tea base is decent, but I think a step up in quality and/or a milder black tea base would have allowed the berry profile that I know was hiding in there to shine through a bit more. In my opinion, the black tea base used was a bit heavy for a berry blend and just ended up overwhelming it. If you a love a full-bodied black tea and want it to just be complemented by a mild berry profile, then you might enjoy this. Otherwise, this is a decent cup, but not one that I plan to purchase.
— To purchase Boston Tea Company Berry Medley Black Tea, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.
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